Hundreds of powerful US “bunker-buster” bombs are being shipped from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for a possible attack on Iran according to Scottish Newspaper report.
The Sunday Herald said they can reveal the US government signed a contract in January to transport 10 ammunition containers to the island. According to a cargo manifest from the US navy, this included 387 “Blu” bombs used for blasting hardened or underground structures.
Experts say that they are being put in place for an assault on Iran’s controversial nuclear facilities. There has long been speculation that the US military is preparing for such an attack, should diplomacy fail to persuade Iran not to make nuclear weapons.
Although the story was not confirmed at the time, the new evidence suggests that it was accurate.
Dan Plesch, director of the Center for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London and co-author of a recent study on US preparations for an attack on Iran was quoted by the Scottish newspaper as saying, “They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran. US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours."
The preparations were being made by the US military, but it would be up to President Obama to make the final decision. He may decide that it would be better for the US to act instead of Israel, Plesch argued.
Diego Garcia is used by the US as a military base under an agreement made in 1971 with the British.
Neither the United States nor Israel have ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the long-running row over Iran's disputed nuclear ambitions.
According to The Herald, a shipping company based in Florida, Superior Maritime Services, will be paid $699,500 to carry many thousands of military items from Concord, California, to Diego Garcia.
Crucially, the cargo includes 195 smart, guided, Blu-110 bombs and 192 massive 2000lb Blu-117 bombs.
“The US is not publicising the scale of these preparations to deter Iran, tending to make confrontation more likely,” he added. “The US ... is using its forces as part of an overall strategy of shaping Iran’s actions.”
According to Ian Davis, director of the new independent thinktank, Nato Watch, the shipment to Diego Garcia is a major concern. “We would urge the US to clarify its intentions for these weapons, and the Foreign Office to clarify its attitude to the use of Diego Garcia for an attack on Iran,” he said.
The British Ministry of Defence has said in the past that the US government would need permission to use Diego Garcia for offensive action. It has already been used for strikes against Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars.
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Showing posts with label tehran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tehran. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Iran launches new missile production line - capable of destroying 3,000 ton warships
Iran has started mass production of the Nasr 1 (Victory) cruise missile according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
Iranian Interior Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said at a ceremony to inaugurate Nasr 1 production line "Nasr 1 missile is a cruise missile capable of destroying warships that weigh up to 3,000 tons."
Vahidi, speaking at Iran’s defense ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization also said the “Nasr 1 is a short-range coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea missile which could be fired from coasts and all types of vessels.” adding it would strengthen Iran's naval power as “New features will be added to the missile in the near future, making it suitable for launch from helicopters and submarines.”
Ahmad Vahidi said last year while announcing Iran successfully tested upgraded versions of the medium-range Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles with can fly up to 2,000 kilometers, putting Israel well within range, that in the event of an Israeli attack its "lifespan, which is today coming to an end, would be speeded up" and “If this [Israeli attack] happens, which of course we do not foresee, its ultimate result would be that it expedites the Zionist regime's last breath.”
This week IHS Jane’s reported, through the use of commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, that a new launch pad is being constructed with North Korean assistance at Iran’s Semnan space centre that could ultimately launch Tehran’s next-generation Simorgh rocket.
More News from Jerusalem
Iranian Interior Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said at a ceremony to inaugurate Nasr 1 production line "Nasr 1 missile is a cruise missile capable of destroying warships that weigh up to 3,000 tons."
Vahidi, speaking at Iran’s defense ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization also said the “Nasr 1 is a short-range coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea missile which could be fired from coasts and all types of vessels.” adding it would strengthen Iran's naval power as “New features will be added to the missile in the near future, making it suitable for launch from helicopters and submarines.”
Ahmad Vahidi said last year while announcing Iran successfully tested upgraded versions of the medium-range Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles with can fly up to 2,000 kilometers, putting Israel well within range, that in the event of an Israeli attack its "lifespan, which is today coming to an end, would be speeded up" and “If this [Israeli attack] happens, which of course we do not foresee, its ultimate result would be that it expedites the Zionist regime's last breath.”
This week IHS Jane’s reported, through the use of commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, that a new launch pad is being constructed with North Korean assistance at Iran’s Semnan space centre that could ultimately launch Tehran’s next-generation Simorgh rocket.
More News from Jerusalem
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Checkmate - Ahmadinejad is Playing Iran's Deadly Game
Checkmate - Ahmadinejad is Playing Iran's Deadly Game
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is playing a very dangerous game. His years of defiance in the face of international pressure to come clean about Iran's nuclear ambitions is coming to a head.
The latest IAEA report proves Iran is capable of making a nuclear weapon. With their enrichment program going from 20 to 90 percent; the process would take just six months.
Israel, in the event of what looks like a ‘when’ and not ‘if’ major conflict in the middle east, is going to have its hands full with a barrage of Kassam, Grad, Mortars, Katyusha and Scuds fired at her by hostile neighbors in retaliation to an attack on Iran by Israel, the US or a coalition of countries. No matter who leads the attack on Iran, it will be played out as Israel’s fault and Israel will pay the ultimate price.
Since the 2006 Lebanon war there has been one report after another that Hezballah has restocked and refortified its military with weapons smuggled in through Syria from Iran. Syria has built up its reserves with weapons from Iran as well. Hamas in Gaza has not lost any time during this past year’s cease fire, smuggling bigger and more sophisticated weapons, and now has rockets that can travel 60 kilometers, which puts Tel Aviv in striking distance from the south.
What does this mean for Israel? Even with the mid 2010 launch date of the first “Iron Dome” system along the Gaza border, a barrage of rockets from three different sides all at once may prove more than the Iron Dome can handle.
IDF Head of Operations, Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said that some Hezballah rockets now have a range of more than 150 miles -- making Tel Aviv reachable from as far away as Beirut. Israeli officials say Hezbollah's most potent weapons include about 500 Iranian Zilzal guided missiles, with a range up to 186 miles.
In addition, they say Hezballah has 4,000 to 6,000 Iranian Fajr 3 rockets; an artillery rocket that has an estimated range of 45 kilometers or 25-30 miles, and Fajr 5 rockets, which have a range of about 75–80 kilometers. In totality The IDF estimates Hezballah has about 40,000 rockets of different sizes and types and the stock pile is growing daily.
On top of the Iranian threat and an ever growing stockpile of conventional weapons being prepared for what seems like an inevitable conflict in the near future, Israel in the last few weeks is witnessing an escalation in the rhetoric against her from both Syria and Lebanon. Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened this week "If you bomb the airport of martyr Rafik Hariri in Beirut, we will bomb Ben Gurion's airport in Tel Aviv." Today Syria's prime minister warned Israel that any new Mideast war would be “catastrophic for the region and beyond.”
Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric and defiance to the UN and the rest of the international community an effort to egg Israel into a preemptive strike so Iran’s puppet nations can launce a conventional attack on Israel, while all the time yelling “self defense”?
Make no mistake a Nuclear Iran is a threat to Israel, the Middle East and the rest of the world. I was reminded that the game of chess found its roots in the Middle East. Did you know the word “Mate,” as in “Checkmate” is Arabic and means "died", "is dead”?
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is playing a very dangerous game. His years of defiance in the face of international pressure to come clean about Iran's nuclear ambitions is coming to a head.
The latest IAEA report proves Iran is capable of making a nuclear weapon. With their enrichment program going from 20 to 90 percent; the process would take just six months.
Israel, in the event of what looks like a ‘when’ and not ‘if’ major conflict in the middle east, is going to have its hands full with a barrage of Kassam, Grad, Mortars, Katyusha and Scuds fired at her by hostile neighbors in retaliation to an attack on Iran by Israel, the US or a coalition of countries. No matter who leads the attack on Iran, it will be played out as Israel’s fault and Israel will pay the ultimate price.
Since the 2006 Lebanon war there has been one report after another that Hezballah has restocked and refortified its military with weapons smuggled in through Syria from Iran. Syria has built up its reserves with weapons from Iran as well. Hamas in Gaza has not lost any time during this past year’s cease fire, smuggling bigger and more sophisticated weapons, and now has rockets that can travel 60 kilometers, which puts Tel Aviv in striking distance from the south.
What does this mean for Israel? Even with the mid 2010 launch date of the first “Iron Dome” system along the Gaza border, a barrage of rockets from three different sides all at once may prove more than the Iron Dome can handle.
IDF Head of Operations, Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said that some Hezballah rockets now have a range of more than 150 miles -- making Tel Aviv reachable from as far away as Beirut. Israeli officials say Hezbollah's most potent weapons include about 500 Iranian Zilzal guided missiles, with a range up to 186 miles.
In addition, they say Hezballah has 4,000 to 6,000 Iranian Fajr 3 rockets; an artillery rocket that has an estimated range of 45 kilometers or 25-30 miles, and Fajr 5 rockets, which have a range of about 75–80 kilometers. In totality The IDF estimates Hezballah has about 40,000 rockets of different sizes and types and the stock pile is growing daily.
On top of the Iranian threat and an ever growing stockpile of conventional weapons being prepared for what seems like an inevitable conflict in the near future, Israel in the last few weeks is witnessing an escalation in the rhetoric against her from both Syria and Lebanon. Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened this week "If you bomb the airport of martyr Rafik Hariri in Beirut, we will bomb Ben Gurion's airport in Tel Aviv." Today Syria's prime minister warned Israel that any new Mideast war would be “catastrophic for the region and beyond.”
Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric and defiance to the UN and the rest of the international community an effort to egg Israel into a preemptive strike so Iran’s puppet nations can launce a conventional attack on Israel, while all the time yelling “self defense”?
Make no mistake a Nuclear Iran is a threat to Israel, the Middle East and the rest of the world. I was reminded that the game of chess found its roots in the Middle East. Did you know the word “Mate,” as in “Checkmate” is Arabic and means "died", "is dead”?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
U.S Military Head in Israel as PM Netanyahu heads to Russia
U.S Military Head in Israel as PM Netanyahu heads to Russia
Amid growing speculation of an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen is in Israel for discussions with military personel while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is en-route to Moscow for meetings with top Russian officials.
Michael Mullen had a brief stop first in Egypt and will have another stop in Jordan on the way out. So far there is just speculation to the nature of the talks however, amid renewed speculation that the Israelis may be preparing for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, the subject is expected to be focused on the growing threat from Iran’s nuclear program.
During his visit Admiral Mullen will hold a private meeting with Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, as well as a briefing with senior commanders of the General Staff, including Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Benny Ganz, Head of Israel Defense Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, Head of Strategic Planning Directorate, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, and the military attaché to Washington, Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni.
Despite some differences of opinion concerning Iran’s nuclear program, last year Mullen said both himself and Ashkenazi are "by and large" in agreement on Iran's progress toward obtaining nuclear weapons. He also knows "there is a leadership in Israel that is not going to tolerate" a nuclear Iran, saying that Tehran's atomic designs are a matter of "life or death" for the Jewish state. Regarding the question of whether or not Iran’s nuclear program has peaceful purposes he said, "I fundamentally believe that the Iranians are on a path to developing a nuclear weapon.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke about his coming trip to Russia during today’s cabinet meeting, saying "We will discuss Iran first and foremost." Netanyahu is expected to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin where he will push for urgent "crippling sanctions" against Iran over its nuclear program.
Meanwhile in the background and possibly flying under the radar was the American military teams visit to Israel to disgust the possibility of storing some of the equipment and ammunition that is going to be pulled out of Iraq. “There is talk that some of the equipment will be stored in Israel,” the official said. “If that is the case, in the event of an emergency we may be able to use it.” Last month the pentagon decided to double the value of emergency military stockpiles it stores in Israel.
The US already maintains several stockpiles in Israel that include missiles, armored vehicles, aerial munitions and artillery ordnance. The US began stockpiling equipment in Israel in the early 1990s.
"Officially, all of this equipment belongs to the US military,” one official said. “If however, there is a conflict, the IDF can ask for permission to use some of the equipment.” US stockpiles were used during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
The IDF and the Pentagon are also working on an agreement regarding the establishment of a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) maintenance center in Israel. The US will set up a maintenance center on an Israel Air Force base. The center will be manned by Americans who would maintain planes that would make up a squadron of F35 fighters Israel is seeking from the U.S.
Amid growing speculation of an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen is in Israel for discussions with military personel while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is en-route to Moscow for meetings with top Russian officials.
Michael Mullen had a brief stop first in Egypt and will have another stop in Jordan on the way out. So far there is just speculation to the nature of the talks however, amid renewed speculation that the Israelis may be preparing for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, the subject is expected to be focused on the growing threat from Iran’s nuclear program.
During his visit Admiral Mullen will hold a private meeting with Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, as well as a briefing with senior commanders of the General Staff, including Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Benny Ganz, Head of Israel Defense Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, Head of Strategic Planning Directorate, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, and the military attaché to Washington, Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni.
Despite some differences of opinion concerning Iran’s nuclear program, last year Mullen said both himself and Ashkenazi are "by and large" in agreement on Iran's progress toward obtaining nuclear weapons. He also knows "there is a leadership in Israel that is not going to tolerate" a nuclear Iran, saying that Tehran's atomic designs are a matter of "life or death" for the Jewish state. Regarding the question of whether or not Iran’s nuclear program has peaceful purposes he said, "I fundamentally believe that the Iranians are on a path to developing a nuclear weapon.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke about his coming trip to Russia during today’s cabinet meeting, saying "We will discuss Iran first and foremost." Netanyahu is expected to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin where he will push for urgent "crippling sanctions" against Iran over its nuclear program.
Meanwhile in the background and possibly flying under the radar was the American military teams visit to Israel to disgust the possibility of storing some of the equipment and ammunition that is going to be pulled out of Iraq. “There is talk that some of the equipment will be stored in Israel,” the official said. “If that is the case, in the event of an emergency we may be able to use it.” Last month the pentagon decided to double the value of emergency military stockpiles it stores in Israel.
The US already maintains several stockpiles in Israel that include missiles, armored vehicles, aerial munitions and artillery ordnance. The US began stockpiling equipment in Israel in the early 1990s.
"Officially, all of this equipment belongs to the US military,” one official said. “If however, there is a conflict, the IDF can ask for permission to use some of the equipment.” US stockpiles were used during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
The IDF and the Pentagon are also working on an agreement regarding the establishment of a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) maintenance center in Israel. The US will set up a maintenance center on an Israel Air Force base. The center will be manned by Americans who would maintain planes that would make up a squadron of F35 fighters Israel is seeking from the U.S.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ahmadinejad to Assad 'Destroy Israel if it attacks'
Ahmadinejad to Assad 'Destroy Israel if it attacks'
Iran’s State broadcaster reported yesterday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Assad his country has 'reliable information Zionist regime looking to compensate for its ridiculous defeats in Gaza, Lebanon'
According to a Reuters report Ahmadinejad also said on Wednesday that "If the Zionist regime should repeat its mistakes and initiate a military operation, then it must be resisted with full force to put an end to it once and for all"
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has on many occasions called for Israel to be "wiped off the map"
Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat and has not ruled out military action should diplomacy fail to deliver an agreement that would halt the Islamic regimes nuclear ambitions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of European diplomats yesterday that "Iran is racing forward to produce nuclear weapons" emphasizing the situation shall not be resolved by weak sanctions, saying "This means not moderate sanctions, or watered-down sanctions," while reminding them that the time left to apply these measures is running out "This means crippling sanctions and these sanctions must be applied right now."
The Islamic Republic does not recognize Israel and will not mention Israel by name but says “Zionist regime” or as Iran’s FM Mottaki said this week "a mad nation led by insane people" referring to Israel.
Last May, General Ataollah Salehi, general commander of the Iranian army said: "The truth is that Israel does not have the courage to attack us. If we are subjected to any attack by Israel, I do not think we will need more than 11 days to wipe Israel out of existence."
Anti-government protesters were dispersed today on Tehran’s main square as hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to celebrate Iran’s 31st anniversary of the revolution.
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal the Iranian telecommunications have suspended all email deliveries to and from Gmail – Google has not yet commented
Iran’s State broadcaster reported yesterday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Assad his country has 'reliable information Zionist regime looking to compensate for its ridiculous defeats in Gaza, Lebanon'
According to a Reuters report Ahmadinejad also said on Wednesday that "If the Zionist regime should repeat its mistakes and initiate a military operation, then it must be resisted with full force to put an end to it once and for all"
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has on many occasions called for Israel to be "wiped off the map"
Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat and has not ruled out military action should diplomacy fail to deliver an agreement that would halt the Islamic regimes nuclear ambitions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of European diplomats yesterday that "Iran is racing forward to produce nuclear weapons" emphasizing the situation shall not be resolved by weak sanctions, saying "This means not moderate sanctions, or watered-down sanctions," while reminding them that the time left to apply these measures is running out "This means crippling sanctions and these sanctions must be applied right now."
The Islamic Republic does not recognize Israel and will not mention Israel by name but says “Zionist regime” or as Iran’s FM Mottaki said this week "a mad nation led by insane people" referring to Israel.
Last May, General Ataollah Salehi, general commander of the Iranian army said: "The truth is that Israel does not have the courage to attack us. If we are subjected to any attack by Israel, I do not think we will need more than 11 days to wipe Israel out of existence."
Anti-government protesters were dispersed today on Tehran’s main square as hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to celebrate Iran’s 31st anniversary of the revolution.
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal the Iranian telecommunications have suspended all email deliveries to and from Gmail – Google has not yet commented
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